Actuating mechanism for metalworking machines



' ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR METAL-WORKING MACHINES Filed Feb. 5, 1958 Dec. 15, 1959 J. N. HENSHAW 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor James NHenshaw By hw Attorney Dec. 15, 1959 J. N. HENSHAW 2,916,921

ACTUATINGMECHANISM FOR METAL-WORKING MACHINES Filed Feb. 5. 195a 2 Sheets-Sheet z V 42 I} 12 /e W 5; l 5 1 f0 10 l 1 f6 Inventor James NHenshaw By his Afton-Lg ACTUATTNG MECHANISM 130R METAL- ,WQRKINGMACHINES fI'his invention relates to improvements in or releating to actuating mechanisms in general, .and is especially concerned -;w ith improvements in or relating to actuating mechanisms for useintransfer devices.

In the operation of many metahworking machine s it is commontohave a transfer device which, during each cycle of the machine, transfers an individual article from a loading position (to which the article has been fed following some operation upon the article) to a second position, where a' further operation is to be performed upon the article. Some such machines employ a transfer device which includes an actuating mechanism compris- .ing a slide which is adapted to reciprocate along a guideway; the article engaging means, being attached to the slide. It is, moreover, practicable for such an actuating mechanism to be of the type in which the slide is reciprocated by means of the rim of a cam and in which either 'a projection on the slide, or some means connected to the slide, is spring pressed against the cam in such a way i that the movement of the article engaging-means from ithe second position back to the loading position (where y it will collect another article) is caused by the rim of the cam pressing against the projection on the slide to force the slide back along the guideway against the action of the aforementioned spring. It will be appreciated that the forward movement of the slide (ie after the article-engaging means has collected an article at the loading position) is caused by the pressure of the spring; the same movement being controlled by contact of the projection with the cam, the rim of which is, as it were,

receding with respect to the projection. It will be further appreciated that, should the slide encounter any undue resistance (e.g. due to jamming of an article), the spring will not be able to exert itself, whereupon a gap will occur between the cam and the projection, and the slide will remain stationary. However, it will be readily under- .stoodthat, should the undue resistance cease soon after it began, the spring will cause the slide to move rapidly and violently along the guideway with what may be disastrous results, for in many machines it is essential that the slide should travel at just the right time and speed. c It is, for example, possiblethat the projection will not .be able to reengage the cam timely, and that the articleengaging means will therefore interfere with working parts of the machine and consequently damage will result.

It is one of the object of the present invention to provide a mechanism of the type referred to in which, should the undue resistance cease as aforementioned, the slide will remain stationary until such time in the operation of 'the machine as the rim of the cam again comes into engagement with the projection.

The mechanism, illustrated herein as an embodiment of this invention, comprises a slide which is adapted to reciprocate in a straight line along a guideway. An articleengaging means, such as attached to one end portion of the slide, is adapted to transfer, once during each cycle of a metal-working machine, an individual article from United States Patent .1

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a loading position (to which the article has been fed followingan operation ,upon it) to a second position cnterotarymovementof a single revolution during each cycle of the machine. Mounted for limited rocking movement on a pivot pin in the slide is a projecting in- :termediate member o'n which a cam follower roll is mounted. There is also a resilient pressing means, in the ,form of a spring, which continually ,exerts'a force against the intermediate member in a direction to press its cam follower roll toward the cam.

During the operation of the mechanism of this invenvtion, a single revolution of theafo'rementionedcam will normally result in the slide moving first in one direction and thenin the opposite direction, the cam troll being i kept continually in contact with the rim ofthe cam by pressure of the spring. Movement of theslide in thefirst direction is caused ,by thespring, and normally takes placeat arateofspeedand to an extent both of which ,are controlled by the earn. On the-other hand, movement in the opposite direction is caused by the cam and is opposed by the spring. Should a jam occur at the loading position of the article-engaging means, provided the resistance exerted upon thev slide due to the jam is sufficientlyv great,-the spring will not be able to maintain the cam roll in contact with the cam, and a gap will occur between the roll and the cam. At the moment contact is-lost, the projeetingintermediate member will have been rocked or canted by the spring to a cocked position whereby an edge of the member forcefully impinges against (in'monkey-bite fashion) a surface of the guideway thereby locking the slide at the position in which the jamming o'ccurrd,even should resistance due to come again into contact with the cam roll. It is to be noted that the machine of which the illustrative mechanismjforms a part is able to continue its cyclical operations uninterrupted regardless 'of the fact that no article has arrived at thesecond position aforementioned.

At whatever phase, in the operation of the machine, a jam occurs whilethe slide is moving under the influence of the spring, once a gap has occurred between the rim of the cam and the cam roll, no further movement of the slide will occur even should the jam resolve itself. There is thus no danger of the slide flying violently along the guideway at the wrong time in the cycle of themachine, and no danger of parts being broken, or'of articles being damaged.

The present invention provides, as one of its several features, an actuating mechanism comprising a first member arranged to execute a positive movement in the operation of the mechanism, and a second member adapted to derive through an intermediate member movement controlled by the movement of the first member, the intermediate member being connected to the second member and being pressed by resilient means against the first member; the arrangement being such that the intermediate member is moved by the resilient means only to an extent controlled by the movement of the first member, but such that, should the second member encounter any undue resistance to movement, then the intermediate member will not be able to maintain contact with the first member, with the result that'a gap will occur between them, and the intermediate member will be moved by the resilient means relative to the second member into a position wherein it engages a locking surface in such a manner as to prevent movement of the second member and will remain in said position, even should the resistance cease, until such time, d nr ing a'subsequent cycle of the machine, as the first member again operatively engages the intermediate member and moves it out of locking engagement with said locking surface.

The present invention provides, as another of its features, an actuating mechanism comprising a slide adapted to reciprocate along a guideway, the slide having connected to it a member which is adapted to shift relative to the slide from a first position in which the member engages a locking surface in such a manner as to prevent movement, in one direction, of the slide along the guideway to a second position in which it does not engage the surface in such a manner, means for driving the slide along the guideway in said direction, said latter means being arranged to act through said member and the arrangement being such that, should the slide encounter any undue resistance to movement in said direction, then said means will move said member from the second of said positions to the first of said positions wherein it will remain even should said resistance cease.

The present invention provides, as another of its several features, an actuating means comprising a cam surface, a cam follower normally in operative engagement with the cam surface, and a member operated by said cam follower, the arrangement being such that should a gap occur between the cam follower and the cam surface, due to undue resistance to movement of said member, then the cam follower will thereafter be prevented, even should the resistance cease, from moving into re-engagement with the cam surface.

The above and other features of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a view, in side elevation, showing the illustrative actuating mechanism in the position wherein article engaging means (not shown) actuated by the mechanism are at the loading position;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of parts shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view, mainly in vertical section taken along the line IIII'II of Fig. 1, and viewed in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, but showing the mechanism after locking means of the illustrative mechanism have become activated.

Referring to Fig. 1, a slide is adapted to reciprocate in a straight line along a guideway 12 (part of which is broken away to show the slide 10). The slide 10 is shown as broken olf at 14; but attached to a left hand end portion (not shown) is an article engaging means (not shown) which is adapted to transfer, once during each cycle of the metal working machine of which the mechanism of this invention forms a part, an individual article from a loading position (to which the article has been fed, following an operation upon it) to a second position where a further operation is to be carried out upon the article. The illustrative mechanism, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, is in the position whereat the article engaging means is at the loading position. During each cycle of the machine, slide 10 is arranged normally to move sufficiently to the left (Fig. l) to carry the article engaging means from the loading position to the aforementioned second position and then to move back again toward the right to bring the illustrative mechanism back to the loading position of Fig. 1. During each cycle of the machine a cam 16 mounted on a shaft 18 is arranged to execute a clockwise movement (Fig. 1) through one revolution. The manner in which the slide 10 is operated through a projecting intermediate member 20 that is controlled by the movement of the cam 16 will later be explained.

.As can be seen in Fig. 3, the slide 10 is provided at its right end (Fig. 1) with an open slot 22. At the bottom of the slot 22 the slide 10 is further cut away to form two shoulders 24, 24. Mounted in the slide 10 and crossing the slot 22 is a pivot pin 26 on which is mounted for limited rocking movement the intermediate member 20, a section through which member can be seen in Fig. 3. As can also be seen in Fig. 3, portions of the member 20 overhang the slide 10, while others underlie it. The portions which underlie the slide 10 provide two shoulders 28, 28 and two shoulders 30, 30, and the portions which overhang the slide 10 provide two shoulders 32, 32 and two shoulders 34, 34. Each shoulder 28 is, when the illustrative mechanism is in the position of Fig. 1, in facing engagement with one or the other of the shoulders 24 of the slide 10, and each shoulder 32 is similarly in engagement with one or the other of two top edges 36, 36 of the slide 10. It can be seen from Fig. 1 that a shoulder 28 is at an angle of about 176 with a shoulder 30, and so is a shoulder 32 with a shoulder 34. -It will be seen from the position of the intermediate member 20 in Fig. 4 that this member 20 is not capable of sufficient counterclockwise rocking movement about the pin 26 even to allow the shoulders 30 and 34 to come into facing engagement respectively with the shoulders 24 and the edges 36; this being prevented by line contact between a corner edge 38 of the member 20 and a locking surface 40 of the guideway 12. The importance of this fact will be appreciated later.

Associated with an upper end portion of the intermediate member 20 is a roller 42 mounted on a pin 44 which has a threaded end portion 46 on which is a nut 48. The nut 48 holds the pin 44 in position and a collar 50 holds the roller 42 in position on the pin 44.

Mounted in the intermediate member 20 is a pin 52 provided with a circumferentially grooved portion 53 against which continually presses one end of a resilient pressing means herein illustrated as a torsion spring 54. The other end portion of the spring 54 is firmly screw attached in the right end portion (Fig. 1) of the guideway 12. Referring now to the mode of operation of the illustrative mechanism, it can readily be perceived (Fig. 1) that each revolution of the shaft 18 will normally result in the slide 10 moving first toward the left and then to the right, back to its original position; the roller 42 being kept continually in contact with the rim 56 of the cam 16 by pressure of the spring 54 hearing against the pin 52 of the intermediate member 20; and the relative positions of the member 20 and the slide 10 being always as shown in Fig. 1. Movement of the slide 10 toward the left is caused by the spring 54 and this movement takes place to an extent controlled by the rotation of the cam 16. On the other hand, movement toward the right is directly caused by the cam 16, and this movement is opposed by the force of the spring 54.

Should a jam occur at the loading position of the article engaging means, then, provided resistance to the movement of the slide 10 due to the jam is sufiiciently great, the spring 54 will not be able to keep the roller 42 in contact with the rim 56 of the cam 16 and a gap will occur between them (see Fig. 4). At the moment contact is lost between the cam and the roller 42, the intermediate member 20 will have been rocked by the spring 54 to the position shown in Fig. 4, whereupon the edge 38 digs into the surface 40 thereby locking the slide 10 in the position shown; and the slide will remain locked, even should the resistance due to the jam of articles at the loading position disappear, until such time as the cam 16 has rotated sufficiently to come again into contact with the roller 42. It is to be noted that, due to the above-described operation, the machine of which the illustrative mechanism forms part is able to cope with an occurrence wherein no article has arrived at the aforementioned second position.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that had a jam occurred after the slide had started movement toward the left then the slide 10 would have become locked in that position. in which it was at the moment of the jam. In other words, at whatever stage a jam occurs, either before or during movement of the slide 10 toward the left,

once a gap has occurred between the cam rim 56 and the roller 42 no further movement of the slide toward the left will occur even should the jam resolve itself. There is thus no danger of the slide 10 flying violently along its guideway, under the urgency of the spring 54, at the wrong time in the cycle of the machine; and thus no danger of parts being broken or an article being damaged.

Having described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a metal-working machine for sequentially performing a plurality of operations upon a series of work pieces each individually to be transferred automatically from one position in the machine to a second position wherein a subsequent machine operation is to be performed, the combination with a work transfer slide of actuating mechanism for controlling the movement of the transfer slide from said one position to said second position, comprising: a continuously operating actuating member; an intermediate member connected to the slide and operatively disposed between the slide and the actuating member; resilient means exerting a continuous force upon the intermediate member and tending, through the intermediate member, to move the slide in the direction toward the said second position and to maintain the intermediate member in operative engagement with the actuating member so that normally the extent of movement in :the direction toward the second position that is imparted by the resilient means is controlled by the actuating member, and the return movement of the slide and intermediate member is imparted by the actuating member, and means for instantly locking the intermediate member against further movement responsive to the resilient means if operative engagement between the actuating member and the intermediate member is interrupted during said movement toward the second position.

2. In a metal-working machine, provided with a work transfer slide movable in opposite directions along a guideway for automatically shifting a work piece from one machine station to another, the combination of actuating mechanism for controlling movements of said slide, said mechanism comprising: a member connected to the slide and movable concomitantly therewith along a fixed guideway; resilient means continuously exerting a direct force upon the member tending, through the connected member, to move the slide in one direction; a power operated actuating means operatively disposed in the path of the member for controlling the extent of said movement in the said one direction during part of the machine cycle, and, during another part of the cycle, for imparting movement to the slide and member in the opposite direction against the force of the resilient means so that normally operative contact is maintained between the actuating means and said member; said member being so constructed and arranged as to provide a free sliding fit along its guideway only when resiliently maintained in operative contact with the actuating means, and, when operative contact is interrupted, to provide an interlock relation between said member and slide until operative contact is again established.

3. In a metal-working machine provided with work transfer means movable in opposite directions along a guideway for automatically shifting a work piece from one machine station to another, the combination'of actuating mechanism for controlling the movements of said means, said mechanism comprising; a first member arranged to execute a positive movement in the operation of the mechanism; a second member adapted to derive through an intermediate member movement controlled by the movement of the first member; said intermediate member being connected to the second member and being pressed by resilient means against the first member; the arrangement being such that the intermediate member is moved by the resilient means only to an extent controlled by the movement of the first member, but such that should the second member encounter an undue resistance to movement then the intermediate member will not be able to maintain contact with the first memher, with the result that a gap will occur between them and the intermediate member will be moved by the resilient means relative to the second member into a position wherein it engages a locking surface to prevent movement of the second member until such time, during a subsequent cycle of the machine, as the first member again operatively engages the intermediate member and moves it out of locking engagement with said locking surface.

4. In a metal-working machine provided with a work transfer means movable in opposite directions along a guideway for automatically shifting a work piece from one machine station to another, the combination of actuating mechanism for controlling the movement of said means, said mechanism comprising: a slide adapted to reciprocate along a guideway; 21 member connected to the slide and adapted to shift relative to the slide from a first position in which the member engages a locking surface in such a manner as to prevent movement of the slide in one direction along the guideway, to a second position in which the member does not engage the locking surface; means for driving the slide along the guideway in said direction, said latter means being arranged to act through said member and the arrangement being such that, should the slide encounter any undue resistance to movement in said direction, said means will move said member from the second of said positions to the first of said positions wherein it will remain even should said resistance cease.

5. An arrangement for shifting metal work piece blanks from one work station in a machine to a subsequent station, comprising: a transfer slide; a guideway along which the slide is operably shiftable in opposite directions between said work stations; a member pivotally connected to said slide and movable therewith in said opposite directions; resilient means for normally advancing the member and slide in one direction; cam means for controlling the advance movements of and for retracting said member and slide in the opposite direction; and locking means associated with the member whereby if the force of said resilient means is exceeded in opposition thereto by other resistance than that produced by said cam means, then the member and slide will become locked against further movement imparted by the resilient means.

6. In a metal-working machine provided with a work transfer slide movable in opposite directions along a guideway for automatically shifting a work piece from one machine station to another, the combination of actuating mechanism for controlling the movement of said slide, said mechanism comprising: a cam surface; a concentric cam follower roll normally maintained in operative engagement with the cam surface; a locking member normally slidable concomitantly with said slide to which it is pivotally mounted; and resilient means urging said member in the direction of the cam to maintain contact therewith; said cam, roll and locking member being operatively associated with each other in monkey-bite fashion such that, should a gap occur between the cam follower roll and the cam surface due to undue resistance to the movement of said member, the member will pivotally move into locking engagement with the guideway and the roll will thereafter be prevented from moving into re-engagement with the cam surface.

Dyson May 22, 1921 Martin Sept. 3, 1940 

